SWOT analysis of rivals in Rajasthan

Jaipur: The BJP won all 25 parliamentary seats in the last elections and also registered a victory in the recent assembly polls. But the Congress too has a history of doing well in the state elections, winning alternate polls in recent decades.

An analysis of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT).

BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY

Strengths

* Strong organisational network down to the booth level

* PM Narendra Modi’s frequent visits to the state give the party the edge over the opposition

Weakness

* Unrest among leaders over denial of the party ticket to MLAs, Churu MP Rahul Kaswan left to join the Congress

Opportunities

* The BJP aims to cash in on the momentum gained by the assembly polls victory just months back

* It hopes to woo young voters after the new state government formed an SIT and made arrests in paper leak cases

* The BJP claims to have made progress on the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project with the state government signing an MoU with the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government

* The BJP continues to attack the previous Congress government over “appeasement” of minorities

Threat

* A section of farmers in northern Rajasthan has backed protests by Punjab farmers

CONGRESS

Strengths

* Veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot’s political acumen will come in useful 

* Former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot’s popularity with the youth and the Gurjar community is an asset

Weaknesses

* A power tussle between Gehlot and Pilot over the past five years has sapped the party’s strength

* The party’s organisational structure and booth management are not as strong as that of the BJP

Opportunities

* The Congress will try to cash in on dissatisfaction in the Gurjar community, which feels it hasn’t got the representation it deserves in the state’s new BJP government

* Regional parties like Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) could tie up with the Congress

Threats

* The party finds it hard to counter BJP allegations of minority ‘appeasement’ and corruption during the last Congress government in the state

* Former minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malvia recently joined the BJP, amid fears that other senior Congress leaders too may change sides.